KWidder@MCCFund.org

Medina County Community Fund names new affiliate director

AKRON, Ohio (March 1, 2010) – The Medina County Community Fund of Akron Community Foundation has selected Karen E. Widder, Esq., as its new affiliate director.

Widder has more than seven years of nonprofit fundraising, organizational management and donor relations experience. Most recently, she served as the associate director of development for the Battered Women’s Shelter and Rape Crisis Center.

“I’m pleased to join the Medina County Community Fund board in welcoming Karen to this leadership role,” said Akron Community Foundation President and CEO John T. Petures Jr. “We look forward to working with her in building awareness and generating resources that will improve the health and well-being of the community now and in the future.”

Widder has been a resident of Medina County since 2003 and has been active in the county’s nonprofit sector since 2000. Prior to her position at the Battered Women’s Shelter, Widder served as a managing attorney and development officer for Medina’s Community Legal Aid, a nonprofit law firm that assists low-income and senior residents. She also worked as a nonprofit attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati for four years.

Widder was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1992 after earning her juris doctor degree from the Ohio State University College of Law. She lives in Montville with her husband, Kent, and their two children.

About the Medina County Community Fund

The Medina County Community Fund, an affiliate of Akron Community Foundation, serves as a permanent philanthropic endowment for Medina County. Its mission is to enhance the quality of life for Medina County residents now and in the future. The income from this fund is distributed annually to qualified Medina County nonprofit organizations that provide a wide range of cultural, educational, health and community services. To date, grants to these organizations exceed $279,000. For more information or to contribute to the Medina County Community Fund.

About Akron Community Foundation

Celebrating 55 years of building community philanthropy, Akron Community Foundation is a $124 million philanthropic endowment with a growing family of more than 300 affiliate funds. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the foundation, which works to improve the quality of life in Greater Akron. It accepts charitable gifts and bequests from individuals, families, organizations and corporations committed to making a difference in the community for generations to come. To date, the foundation and its affiliate funds have awarded more than $85 million in grants to qualified nonprofit organizations.